Japanese nuclear power plant needs 30 years to

An expert panel of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission concluded that the Fukushima nuclear power plant could only stop completely after at least three decades.

Workers in the Fukushima I nuclear power plant put a colleague
went out of the factory after the person exposed radiation in April. (Photo: AP)

Fukushima I nuclear power plant was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, causing the world's most serious nuclear crisis after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Due to the main and standby generators. all are inactive, nuclear fuel of three of the 6 molten reactors causes radiation to leak out. The crisis forced tens of thousands of evacuees.

Workers and engineers in the factory continue to make efforts to reduce the amount of radiation leakage, although the amount of radiation is much lower than before.

Although the government affirmed that the amount of radiation leaked from the Fukushima I plant was stable, an expert panel set up by the Japan Atomic Energy Commission calculated that Japan needs to wait at least 30 years. before closing the factory completely. This is the content of a draft report that the panel of experts posted on the website of the Atomic Energy Commission, AP said.

Fukushima I. Nuclear Power Plant (Photo: Guardian)

In 1979, fuel in a reactor core of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in the United States melted, causing radiation to escape. Then American engineers took 10 years to remove the fuel rods from the reactor. The Japan Council of Experts judged that the process of removing fuel rods at the Fukushima I plant was complicated and required more time. The cost for that process is also much higher. The Yomiuri newspaper quoted some independent experts saying that the removal of fuel rods could 'consume' more than 1.5 trillion yen (19 billion USD).

The leadership of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which manages the Fukushima I plant, said that it had cooled down the damaged reactors. But the repair and implementation of safety measures must still be implemented. So the panel of experts said that the removal of used fuel rods could only start from 2021, after the repair of their tanks was completed.

The government must also eliminate radioactivity in areas around the plant. The ban on entry into the area with a radius of 20km around the factory is still valid.